


I Love That You're a Painter, Ryan

by kaciemcr



Category: Bandom, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Fluff, M/M, just kidding but i thought it was kinda cute, no smut but heartfelt love to rival The Notebook, this is so gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7208942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaciemcr/pseuds/kaciemcr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story in my circus AU. Brendon's an acrobat, and Ryan is an artist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love That You're a Painter, Ryan

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, some background info: It's a traveling circus. I've never been to a circus; I don't really know what artists do there.

“Ry!” Brendon yelled, grinning. He pranced through the light crowd, still wearing his performing outfit. At least he had changed shoes and put on a jacket. Ryan noted the changing weather to winter as he added an extra scarf in the morning and a heavier jacket than in September. He liked the summer best, because he could wear t-shirts and he didn’t have to worry about Brendon getting a cold from performing. Brendon always reassured him that acrobatics kept his blood pumping; that he didn’t feel a chill until at least 5 minutes after the group was finished and the crowd had went to another act. 

Ryan halted painting, his brush freshly dipped in a mixture of green and white. He placed it beside his paint pools and waited for the other boy. Ryan pushed his bangs out of his eyes and cursed (for the third time that day) about not wearing his bandanna. He also knew Brendon liked it when he wore the floral one, which made him curse again. He grinned when the shorter boy settled standing beside his easel. 

“Nice painting!” Brendon shouted, as usual. He didn’t seem to have an indoor voice, even if they were actually outside. A few passing by people looked at him and then at the work-in-progress beside him. They raised their eyebrows in appreciation, and Ryan secretly reveled in the admiration. “Not that it’s a surprise, though! Everything you make is amazing. I need to commission you again.” Ryan blushed and waved his hand at him. He liked painting for Brendon, but he never charged. It was a friend benefit. 

“You’re so talented. I love that about you. How is your day so far?” The acrobat asked eagerly, not giving the artist a moment to question the first two sentences. The other performers laughed at how open he was about his little crush. Ryan never seemed to connect all the pieces, or he acted like he didn’t. Brendon was fine either way, as long as they could be friends. He did really like the boy, though. 

Ryan put his palette down, expecting the conversation to continue for a while. “It’s a good day. One customer bought a flower portrait and complimented my scarf. Another gave me an extra $10 dollars as a tip. The clouds keep moving until they fit right where I imagined them. I want to paint them later. I enjoy mixing blues.” Brendon smiled, hanging off his every word. He had no idea what was so special about the sky today, but he could love whatever his friend loved. Ryan was staring at his bottle of blue paint, seemingly forgetting the company beside him.

“That’s great. I like that scarf, too. What other colors do you paint the sky with?” He just wanted to hear him talk more. Sometimes Ryan was especially quiet. Brendon didn’t mind, though. 

Ryan’s attention snapped back to the boy, “Well, it depends, Brendon. In the morning, at sunrise, it’s more typical to use warmer colors.” He stopped to ponder whether his friend knew what that meant, “During stormy weather, there is more purple and a lot more blue mixed with black. Today, it’s fair weather, no pun intended, and I would only use blue and white. It’s very monochromatic, but that’s the point.” Ryan waved haphazardly at his paint as he mentioned each color and picked up the white bottle before handing the conversation back to Brendon. 

Brendon nodded, watching Ryan’s lips move, hearing his sweet voice. “I see. How long until your next break?” He asked, glancing around for a clock or some time-telling sign. He wasn’t allowed to wear a watch while performing: no jewelry. After closing, he would usually wear the necklace Ryan had given him back at the beginning of the tour. He adored it.

Ryan smiled at his antics and pulled back his jacket sleeve to check his watch. “Mm, if I don’t get any requests in 10 minutes, I can go on break.” That was one of his rules. He didn’t get a strict schedule, because his job depended on what the audience and customers did. He usually didn’t take breaks when their was a large crowd watching him, because he figured that just plain rude. Brendon grinned and walked off, only to return quickly with a small stool. He planted himself beside his friend, out of the way of any of the paintings (finished or not). Ryan nodded slightly, used to Brendon waiting with him, and started mixing a light orange on his palette. Brendon thought he’d say something about ‘contrast’ if he asked about it.

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy this au a lot. I know the ending was abrupt. Should I write more in this au? Hmu at ffameinfamy on tumblr.


End file.
